Feature Article

LTE Can Now Work Seamlessly with 3G Networks During Handover

There has been a ton of excitement surrounding the rollout of 4G/LTE technologies from major carriers across the world. It seems like everyone is trying to make the move to the latest technology as quickly as they can, so they, too, can get their hands on speeds that blow away what they’re currently using.

The problem with this much excitement is that supply is nowhere close to meeting demand at this time. Companies like MetroPCS will reportedly have LTE capable devices by the end of 2012 or early in 2013, while other companies are lagging behind.

Still others already have LTE devices.

With such a wide variety of different capabilities, it became necessary to work backwards and reverse engineer the ability to have tech that would allow people to go from a 4G/LTE connection to a 3G connection without complications. Earlier this week, T-Mobile, Huawei and Qualcomm Technologies announced that they had perfected a new technology that allows voice handover from LTE to 3G without having to undergo any interruption that was perceivable by those using it.

This technology is especially important when addressing the business world using voice and video telephony, as it allows for seamless handovers depending on where the LTE coverage exists in any given area – or if it exists at all.

Until earlier this week, it was impossible to basically step back in generations when it came to what sort of networks a particular telephony tech was working on.

T-Mobile Austria CTO Rüdiger Köster explained in a recent statement, "Our successful pilot project showed that not only rapid data transfer, but also Voice over LTE technology is ready for wide spread commercial use. Huawei and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. clearly proved their credentials and demonstrated their problem-solving expertise during the course of the venture with T-Mobile."